The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1004 Australians about their attitudes towards the upcoming referendum to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Key Findings:

• A majority of Australians (52%) say they will vote “Yes” to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. A third of Australians (33%) say they will vote “No”, 15% say they are not sure how they will vote in the referendum.
• Migrants are more likely to support the Voice than those born in Australia, with most (56%) of those not born in Australia saying they will vote yes, 27% saying they will vote no, and 17% don’t know.
  • Comparatively, 50% of those born in Australia say they will vote yes, 35% will vote no, and 14% don’t know.
• Younger Australians are most likely to support the Voice, with 73% of 18-29 year olds saying they will vote yes, 15% saying they will vote no, and 12 % don’t know. Support for “yes” then decreases with each age group, while support for no increases with age, with 50-59 year olds evenly split 40% yes and 40% no, and the majority of 60+ (51%) saying they will vote no, and 38% saying they will vote yes.

“Our research shows new Australians and young Australians are most optimistic about making Australia the best it can be, and most likely to support the Voice,” said Dr Richard Denniss, executive director at the Australia Institute.

“Young Australians ought to talk to their parents and grandparents about why they so strongly support the Yes vote and their hopes for the future of our nation.”